[Ivan’s POV]Time continued to pass after Arissa’s departure. There was too much time and it was damn near exhausting having to wait day in and out for the day to come when I would actually be able to finally make my way back to my mate and pups."How long has it been?" I sighed, scratching the beard that was growing freely by this point. "Too long.""Time is irrelevant here." The damn voice that continued to haunt me chuckled."No shit."Slowly getting to my feet, I looked for the celestial being that had just spoken. Why was it here now? Was it to taunt, or was it to actually deliver something useful?The need to beat the shit out of something began to consume me as I continued to search."Why are you here now?" I asked, narrowing my gaze. "If it isn’t to announce that the trials have begun, I’m not...""Ivy."The voice drifted towards me like sweet honey, and I found my frustration suddenly turning to confusion. Why was she here again? Did that mean something else happened on earth
[Arissa’s POV]I stood aside and listened as Giselle recounted what she had told me to the others. With each new detail, elder Theodore’s face grew redder and redder. It seemed that the ridiculous elder didn’t expect her to not hold anything back."And that’s why." I announced once she was finished. "We need to go pay the Rose Woods pack in the north a visit. It seems that they don’t think much of the Fulgur or Tonitru packs. It is our responsibility to remind them. ""Here, here!" Nazhoni announced."Sounds like fun." Stefan added."Ivan would really love this." Igor grumbled.Flinching, I tried to ignore the pain that was shooting through me at the mention of my mate. Even if I knew he was okay, that didn’t make it any less painful to not have him here beside me. However, right now I needed to fix things so that when he returned, we could begin where we left off."You sure about that?"My eyes grew wide as Ivan’s voice drifted through the air. Whirling around, I found him, but not h
[Ivan’s POV]A loud roar escaped the creature before its body lifted and began to convulse. Jumping out of the way, I managed to avoid being hit as it attempted to attack me out of instinct. Once again, it lifted and dove towards me as I rolled out of the way.The space around me rumbled from the force of the creature's attack, but instead of getting up like the previous time, it didn’t move."Overdramatic bastard." I grumbled, slowly getting to my feet. "Should have just stayed down the first time."Taking a few steps forward, I used my foot to nudge the beast. When it didn’t flinch or move, I knew that our battle was over.Loud clapping filled the face before fire erupted around the creature, completely dessimating it right before my eyes."Congratulations. You’ve managed to pass another trial. ""Are you enjoying the show?" I demanded, turning to find the celestial being’s light shining brightly behind me. "You could at least give me some warning beforehand.""Why should I?" It ask
[Ivan’s POV] "Then will you do something about it?" The being asked. Stumbling, I found myself realizing that something didn’t quite feel right. I was used to being angry. So used to it that I was pretty damn good at controlling it, but this was different. It felt almost as if something was attempting to take over within me, something dark and almost sinister. Tilting back my head back, I let a roar of frustration escape me as I stumbled away from the being even more. What the hell was happening exactly? Lifting my hands, I took in the long black claws that were beginning to spring from my fingers and the gray hairs coming from my skin. A metallic taste filled my mouth as I doubled-over and began to heave while pain shot through me. "What…" I gasped, lifting my blurry gaze to the being. "What is this?" "Haven’t you figured it out by now?" The being chuckled. "This is the real you, Ivan. The you deep within. It is the beast that slowly grew more and more due to the anger you’ve su
[Arissa’s POV] "Uh... Luna," Hans murmured, flicking his gaze from Gretchen to the large creatures that were now standing behind her. "Who exactly is this?" Feeling my eyes grow wide, I remembered that only Ivan knew about Gretchen being here with her... creatures. Of course, after I agreed to become his luna, having her here was my only request, and of course, my man granted me anything I wanted. "I’m so sorry," I gasped, quickly stepping beside Gretchen and snaking my arms around her. "This is Gretchen and she is..." "My ex-wife," Elder Theodore grumbled, cutting me off. "I’m shocked to see you’re still alive and well." "Disappointed?" Gretchen countered. "Sorry to disappoint you, dear." At her words, the area around us grew deadly silent, aside from the rumbles of the obakes. "Wait, wait, wait." Igor announced first, breaking the silence. "Did you just say... grandma?" "That’s right." I confirmed, biting back the laugh that wanted to escape me due to the look of disbelief t
Author’s NOTE: Hello readers! No this is not a repeat chapter, I made an error in the chapter title name. This chapter is in fact violence, while the previous is Heresy and has been edited to the proper title. However until the review to allow the change goes through it will continue to show as Violence. Sorry for the mix up and I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)[Ivan’s POV]"Is that how you solve everything?"Flinching, I looked up into the face of the fiery skeleton. Right before my eyes, it began to shift and shrink until standing in front of me was no longer a horrible monster, but a woman with long white hair and an ethereal beauty that was not meant to exist in the real world."Is violence truly the only solution?" The woman continued, frowning.Unable to speak, I simply stared, trying to make sense of exactly what was happening. Why did the fiery creature that the celestial being was so afraid of suddenly turn into such a beautiful and calm woman?"Well?" She continued to push.
[Arissa’s POV]My eyes stayed fixed on the dock that was slowly beginning to grow smaller and smaller. After leaving Gretchen’s cabin, my group and I made our way straight to Stefan’s ship. Once we were boarded, not wanting to waste anymore time."Please hurry up, Ivan." I sighed, feeling my heart tug.Despite trying to keep positive about the fact that I now knew Ivan was okay, there was still so much that could happen. What would I do if Ivan wasn’t able to pass through the gates he spoke of? Did that mean that he would never come back?No, I couldn’t think like that. He would come back. He had to.Letting out a breath, I lifted a finger and waited as the tiny little creature that sat on my shoulder climbed onto it. Bringing it to eye level, I took in its scaly black body and wings so tiny they didn’t seem like they’d be able to even lift a feather."Must be nice." I noted, using my other hand to give it a quick pet. "To be a mindless little creature without a worry in the world."A
[Arissa’s POV]My eyes continued to linger on Hans until a loud shriek ripped through the air, reminding me of the reason this happened in the first place. I snapped my gaze away from my injured comrade and watched as the ugly water horse surged towards me and Igor."Igor," I murmured, keeping my attention fixed on the beast. "I need you to get Hans back up on the deck and staunch his blood the best you can.""What are you planning?" Igor asked."Don’t question your luna!" I hissed, feeling an odd energy burst out of me.Beside me, Igor let out a gasp of shock before his body began to head back to the ship, where I could hear the sounds of the others taking in what happened."HELP HANS!" I yelled, "IF HE DIES, I’LL KILL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!"Letting a snarl escape me, I began to move, surging towards the creature. My anger was the only thing spurring me forward, and when I was close enough to the bastard sea creature, I dove under, gaining as much momentum as I could. Once I was